Three Generations of Cookies {Recipes: Molasses Sugar Cookies, Oatmeal Cookies, Brown Sugar Cookies, and M&M Super Cookies}

Below is the original post for the cookies using the old recipes from my mother's recipe file and my first recipe file. The photos are not good and will work on getting better photos. Above is the most recent photo  of the Valentine cookies I made with the M&M Super Cookie Recipe.

Recently I came across my mom's old recipe file and my first recipe file. Both my mom and I had recipes in our files that were from my maternal grandmother (sadly I have no recipes from my father's mother, I understand she was quite the cook). The week I came across the files coincided with a bake sale fundraiser my son was taking part in, so I pulled cookie recipes from these files. While baking the cookies I realized I had 3 generations of cookies represented. Funny to note, older people bought my grandmother's cookies, younger people bought the cookies from my recipe, and all ages bought my mom's.

The only change I make to these recipes is if a recipe calls for margarine (or "oleo," as some of my grandmother's recipes say) or shortening, I substitute butter. Occasionally I will use shortening, but not often. I try to never use it because I can never use it up before it gets rancid. Most of my grandmother's recipes call for margarine or shortening because it was cheaper. She kept 6 kids well fed through the end of the depression and into WWII, and, boy, did she know how to stretch a dollar!

Molasses Sugar Cookies 

Whenever we went to visit my grandmother she always had a full cookie jar waiting for us. These are the cookies that were in that jar most often. 

3/4 cup shortening (or butter, see above)

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses (light)
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon each cloves, ginger, salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Melt shortening (or butter) in a 3 or 4 quart saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat, let cool. Add sugar, molasses an egg. Beat well. Sift together flour, soda, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Add to first mixture, mix well, then chill. Form into 1" balls. Roll in granulated sugar and place on a greased cookie sheet 2" apart. Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes.

Note: I noticed that some of my mother's and grandmother's recipes don't have the clearest instructions. I assume that "light" molasses is unsulphured, and the chill time would be at least 1/2 hour. Also, a parchment or Silpat lined cookie sheet, rather than greased, works well for all of these recipes. 
 

Oatmeal Cookies

This was my mother's recipe. They turn out thin and toffee like. For thicker cookies, increase the flour by 1/2 cup.  

3/4 cup shortening (or butter, see above)
1 1/3 cup brown sugar*
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg 
1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups oatmeal

1/2 cup raisins, optional
                                                

Beat thoroughly shortening (or butter), sugar(s), egg, water, and vanilla. Sift together flour, salt, and soda. Add to shortening (butter) mixture, mixing well. Bake at 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes. 

*The recipe is originally typed with 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. My mother crossed out the granulated sugar and added an additional 1/3 cup brown sugar. 

Brown Sugar Cookies

This is the most used cookie recipe in my mother's cookie box. It is the recipe that she, then later I, always used for making chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate chip cookies were and still are a favorite!  Add one 12 ounce package of chocolate chips for chocolate chip cookies. 

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter
3 eggs 
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar together, add eggs well beaten, then baking soda and cream of tartar sifted into flour, add vanilla and salt. Drop by tablespoonful on cookie sheet and press down with fork. Makes 70 cookies. 
*Please see note below for updated instructions. 

*NOTE: My mother was a very good writer, but with her recipes not so much. Above is the recipe as written on the recipe card. USE THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone mat. 

2. Sift flour, baking soda and cream of tartar in a medium size mixing bowl; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition; add vanilla and salt. Stir in the flour mixture until well combined, but careful not to over beat or mix. Stir in chocolate chips, if using. 

3. Bake in a moderate (350°F), oven for 8-12 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, move cookies to cooling rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container.

UPDATE: I recently made these cookies to use up some odds and ends baking chips I had. It wound up being about 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, 1/2 cup butterscotch chips, and 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips. I also used a large cookie scoop instead of a tablespoon, so I had to increase the baking time to 12-15 minutes and only yielded about 30 cookies.

M&M Super Cookies

This recipe is from my first recipe box that I received for Christmas when I was around ten. I don't recall where I got from, but I assume a M&M ad. I remember thinking that adding M&M's to cookies was just about the best thing ever!

1 package M&M's, plain (regular, dark, mini, or holiday)
1 cup margarine (or butter)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Coarsely chop 1 1/2 cups candies.* (Reserve the leftover M&M's.) Beat together margarine (butter) and sugars until light and fluffy; blend in eggs and vanilla. Add combined flour, soda, and salt; mix well. Stir in chopped ladies and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoonful onto greased cookie sheet (see note above under the Molasses Cookie recipe). Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes. Press 3 reserved candies on top of each cookie (more if using mini M&M's)*

*I never bother to chop the M&M's and I don't always bother to reserve some to press on top. 

This is the first of the recipes I'll be posting from the newly found recipe files. It will be fun see what recipes I come across for future posts!

Happy Baking!